We do Vermicompost
Vermicompost aka Worm Castings
Vermicomposting is a process of using earthworms to decompose organic matter and extract valuable nutrients that are then used by plants.
It is a completely natural way of turning organic waste into a sustainable source of nutrients for your garden and flower pots, without polluting the
environment.
It is a Sustainable Practice!
Vermicomposting is a composting process that can be continually repeated to deal with food and other organic waste in a fully sustainable way that is positive for the environment. It helps reduce the amount of organic yard and kitchen waste that is deposited in landfill sites each year, reducing the methane that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere.
Benefits of Worm castings!
Soil Benefits of Worm Castings
The addition of worm castings gives the soil a boost of the organic matter that serves as a food source for bacteria, fungi, and other soil microbes. Healthy soil should consist of 5% or more organic material. But modern farming techniques have helped rob the soil of this precious resource, reducing that percentage to 1% or less in some cases, resulting in worm-free, mostly lifeless soil. Adding worm castings, compost, or other animal manures is an excellent way to increase organic matter in the soil.
Soil Structure and Water Retention
Worm castings aid in soil aggregation, acting as a glue to help soil particles like sand, silt, and clay stick together creating the pose space between them to help store water.
By making soil more absorbent, you help decrease runoff, topsoil erosion, and algal blooms as nitrogen-rich synthetic fertilizers will remain in soil rather than ending up in our waterways.
Nutrient Delivery
While nitrogen is plentiful in both the atmosphere and in the soil, it is not plentiful in forms that plants can actually use, namely ammonia and secondarily, nitrate.
The microbial life within vermicompost is very effective at turning organic nitrogen into ammonia, and then into nitrates.
Improved Pest Suppression
The presence of vermicompost in soil can repel unwanted pests like aphids and mealy bugs by way of chitinase.
Chitinase is an enzyme present in some vermicomposts which breaks down chitin, a glucose derivative which forms the backbone of insect exoskeletons.
Studies suggest a 20-40% lower incidence of hard-shelled pest attacks on plants grown in soil treated with vermicompost.
Stronger Root Growth
A plant’s root structure, responsible for pumping nutrients and water into the plant, can be much healthier in soil amended with vermicompost. Roots are thicker and will fan further out into the surrounding soil.
Higher Yield
Get ready to harvest a feast! Worm castings provide plants with the essential nutrients they crave, leading to robust growth and abundant yields.
dirty worm castings
Not all castings are created equally!
Differences in feedstock, maintenance of proper climactic conditions, and proper storage and handling practices can all greatly affect the benefits that worm castings can provide.
Quality matters to us!
Worm castings are not a commodity. The small worm castings producers create rich, biologically active vermicompost. While big box stores sell lower quality, months old biologically dead product in plastic bags.
At every step from raw feedstock to final castings we follow strict inspection, monitoring & control measures for a consistent high-quality product.
The vermicompost process starts with raw feedstock. Our feedstock is a combination of local sourced leaf litter, green yard waste and kitchen scraps. The feedstock then goes through a hot-composting process called pre-compost. Pre-composting is a term in vermicomposting, meaning the early active phase of aerated composting when pile temperatures exceed 131° F for a minimum of three days. When these conditions are met, parasites, pathogens and weed seeds are destroyed.
Composts made with leafy or woody material often promote a more fungal vermicompost. Our pre-compost is then added to a coo-coir bedding and biochar mix. This mix is left for over a week, in order to inoculate the coco-coir with the beneficial fungi and microbes. Making an excellent habitat for worms. After harvesting finished castings this mix will be added to the worm bins as the new bedding to be broken down into fresh castings.
